I agree with Moe. We've visited so many places, around the world and in our own backyard, that we never would have visited before.

We took a trip to Scotland this spring and were able to view the regular tourist stuff, but we also did lots of caching which brought us to areas that we'd never find otherwise, and taught us about the local history. Two highlights were a day-long hike up a mountain on Mull Island off of Scotland, and a scary multi-part virtual cache that told the story and retraced the footsteps of a pair of serial murders in Edinburgh.

Finally, we both really like spending time outside in all seasons of the year, exploring, and hiking. Geocaching is a very good excuse to do just that._________________Jillibean

I'll have to second Moe on this one--I've found lots of great parks in this area through Geocaching. Also, I grew up an hour away from Yellowstone Park, but when I was out there last summer going from one virtual cache to another, I saw places in "my" National Park that I've never seen before. I love the excuse to get out of the house and do something when there's no snow for skiing and it's too cold to do anything else. I also love meeting people from various backgrounds and walks of life with a common interest--whether you're a banker, lawyer, baker, IT person, manufacturer, assistive technology specialist, etc. you're right there with everyone else crawling through sticker bushes, swatting mosquitoes, slipping on ice, trying to keep your GPS warm enough to read while still maintaining a satellite lock to find a tupperware container hidden in a log._________________There comes a time in every young boy's life when he gets an irresistible urge to seek buried treasure.--Mark Twain

For me I like the hunt! The friend who introduced me to this used to have a annual Halloween treasure hunt. I waited all year for her hunt. Now I can hunt everyday! The treasure to me is the satisfaction in the find and also in the wonderful places I get to hike through to find the caches. I also have been amazed at all the places I have driven by in the past and never knew were there.

I like the hiking and the discovering new places too. I also really enjoy the challenge of actually having to find something, of unknown size and shape, in a piece of woods 50 feet by 50 feet. I HATE getting skunked. I get so frustrated. But if I never got skunked, why go hunting? Maybe more importantly, it's a great cheap way to pass the time when you're laid off of work, like me. Don't tell my wife how much I spend on gas though! She'd kill me!!!

I agree with you there. It is one of the few hobbies you can get into almost obsessively and it is still practically free - once you have your GPS. It's a very cheap hobby, and a great way to get outside, experience the seasons, and get in shape._________________Jillibean

What I love--coming to home to see two finds on a cache I just placed this morning after writing the cache page last night--almost the first time I got burned by my technique of finding a hiding spot, marking the coordinates, going home and writing my cache page and gathering my cache together, and placing the cache the next day while double checking my coordinates._________________There comes a time in every young boy's life when he gets an irresistible urge to seek buried treasure.--Mark Twain

What I love--coming to home to see two finds on a cache I just placed this morning after writing the cache page last night--

You *are* lucky. If my plans wouldn't have changed last night (ended up going with a friend to hit two v-caches in Stillwater at 2:30-3:00am)... I would have been there early to beat AZG to the cache. Great location for it - thanks.